


cherry pie

by gallifreyans



Series: of cherry pies and dancing in the moonlight [1]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Mutual Pining, i'm gonna write a part 2 and guess what?, itll be gayer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-11 15:36:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15975299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gallifreyans/pseuds/gallifreyans
Summary: Rayla meets Claudia for the first time.





	cherry pie

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this pre-season release! so it probably isnt accurate but,,, gay [UPDATE! THE KING IS DEAD SO IG THERE WON'T BE A PART TWO ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯]

Claudia stands at the top of the stairs, watching the elf girl meet the King. Rayla, Ezran said her name was. Rayla glanced up at Claudia, feeling her judge her every move. She was on display for the whole royal court. But Claudia’s gaze felt… different. Studying her every move, looking for a flaw that wasn’t there. Claudia knew she shouldn’t like any Moonshadow Elf.  _ “Maybe…”  _ she thought, _ “maybe an exception can be made.”  _ After all, she did spare the princes and protect them on their journey. 

Maybe Claudia can feel a grudging respect, that would make sense. But Claudia never could control her emotions, or her opinions on others… and this feeling for a Moonshadow Elf doesn’t feel like one born from hate. It feels warm, like a freshly baked cherry pie. Or the first purple leaves of fall. Warm and welcoming, everything she knows she shouldn’t feel. 

Rayla keeps glancing upwards, the woman’s gaze never moving. Her emerald eyes stayed fixed on Rayla’s figure, never once watching a noble whisper to his partner about fraternizing with the enemy. Rayla heard plenty of stories about the woman’s ability to bake cherry pies, and talent with the dark arts. She’d heard the princes say her name in admiration plenty of times. Claudia. Rayla felt safe with Claudia watching her. Not protected, just safe.

Rayla felt as if Claudia’s was conveying more than she tried. While not the best at reading people, Rayla could see a certain warmth in her eyes that she doubted was there for many other people. And if Claudia were close enough, she could see that same warmth mimicked in Rayla’s eyes. Claudia made Rayla feel safe, but she also made her feel warm. Like on a walk through the woods with only the silence to hold your hand.

Rayla was taught to kill. Fondness or care for anyone was strictly forbidden, with the fate of the entire race resting on that one rule. Protect yourself, and yourself alone. Rayla knew that this was the opposite of whatever was taught to the princes, as they proved on numerous occasions. Rayla broke her rules for the princes. Breaking her rules for one more person couldn’t be so bad, right?

Claudia was broken out of her trance when she felt a heavy hand on her back. She could almost feel the amusement dripping from his lips as he mocked quietly, “So you have the hots for a Moonshadow Elf. Whatever will you do?”

“It’s not a crush, Soren. I just admire her deeply for protecting the princes.” Claudia frequently finds herself spilling more than she would prefer to her older brother, a trait she loathes. Some secrets are meant to be kept.

“If it is, why are you staring at her from the top of the stairs? ‘Sure she’d love to hear all about your cherry pies an-” Claudia shoves her hand into his face, cutting him off as she descends into the open hall. If Soren wanted her to talk, then fine. 

As she made her way down the stairs, she could feel her heart thumping in her chest, almost ready to jump out. She blamed the fact that Rayla had tried to assassinate the people she was assigned to protect, and not that she had a crush. Who would have a crush on a Moonshadow Elf assassin? Not Claudia, that's for sure.

Rayla heard stories of Claudia. Either from the animated words of Ezran, gushing about how nice she is and how much she loves listening to Ezran relay the events of his day, or the dreamy spiel of Callum, enthusing about her long, flowing hair that almost looks fluid when the breeze catches it, her olive eyes that shine when she smiles, her fierce admiration of her father and her extensive knowledge of the dark arts. Callum barely did her justice in his description. Rayla may not have seen many humans during her days, but Claudia’s beauty was beyond description. So when Rayla hears Claudia come down the stairs to meet her, Rayla is, understandably, nervous. What’s worse than a pretty girl telling you off for getting her best friends into trouble?

“Rayla, right?”

_ Shit.  _

“I’m Claudia, I just wanted to thank you for taking care of Ezran and Callum for me.” She tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear and held out her hand for Rayla to shake. 

“Yeah,” Rayla smiled, taking Claudia’s hand. It was warm and soft, mimicking her eyes as she gazed into Rayla’s, mapping out the colors mixing to create an explosion of beauty in such a small space. Claudia went red. She should be fighting Rayla, not getting lost in her beauty. “Anytime.”

Rayla was shaking. Just a bit, but enough for Ezran to notice. Ezran notices too much. 

“What’s got you bothered?” Ezran asked. Curse small children and their curiosity.

“Nothing, I’m fine.” Rayla said coldly, almost regretting her tone. She turned and was immediately face-to-face with Callum, cornering her into speaking. Sighing, Rayla whispers, “I’m just a bit tired. Everything’s fine.”

“Then why are you staring at Claudia like that?”

Ezran, going off again with his big mouth. Rayla thought of him as a little brother, but little brothers always have their setbacks. 

“I’m not staring! I’m just… looking.”

It was true, Rayla had been gazing at Claudia from across the open hall, fantasizing about their future friendship and… maybe more. Rayla never was a daydreamer, but Claudia was a girl worth dreaming for. She was beautiful in every way; kind, glowing, but also dark and mysterious. In Rayla’s eyes, she was perfect. She could be the light to her dark. But she was always told not to get too ahead of herself. And anyway, why would anyone love an assassin? Someone who knows only blood and death and destruction? Who would look twice at someone like that?

Unbeknownst to Rayla, Claudia didn’t mind the dark past. She had one of her own. All she saw was a girl who had made mistakes. Mistakes can be forgiven. But not right now. Now, she had to be strong for her kingdom. She has no time for silly things like love. That can come later. Unless… No. She couldn’t let anyone die. Especially her. Especially Rayla.


End file.
